During the battle on the surface, Althea noticed that many of the demons were beginning to disintegrate as a result of Thomas' actions in the Great Tree's dungeon. The tides of battle were beginning to turn into the elves' favor but with Thomas' disappearance there was a slight blow to the elven warriors' morale.
"What happened to Lord Thomas? Does anyone know where he is?" Althea asked frantically. A warrior who had seen what had happened explained the situation. "Lady Althea, Lord Thomas fell into a hole. The Great Tree must have done something to him. I don't know if he's still alive or not."
Althea's face turned pale, and her heart sank. She could not believe that her beloved Thomas had been taken by the Great Tree. She had to find him, and she would stop at nothing to do so but then Sophia the angel spoke up. "Don't worry about the Creator. Remember like you said. He can handle himself. He will come out victorious. In the meantime, let's focus on the Great Tree's forces." Her voice was soft and soothing, but her words were powerful and true. They were exactly what Althea needed to hear in that moment.
Althea nodded, and she turned her attention back to the battle. The elves were pushing the heretics and demons back, but they were still outnumbered. They needed to find a way to defeat the Great Tree's forces once and for all.
Kyran was fighting alongside Egon, and they were working together to push the enemy back. Kyran was a powerful warrior, and he was able to hold his own against the heretics and demons. But Egon was old and frail, and he was struggling to keep up. Kyran could see that the older elf was tiring, and he knew that he had to do something.
"Don't push yourself too much, you old fart. Stay in the back like you cowardly mages are good at doing. I'll handle these bastards."
"My my, youngsters these days always acting all high and mighty. You'll get yourself killed one of these days if you're not careful." Egon replied.
"Save your nagging for your grandchildren." Kyran said while he was swinging his sword. He cut through the ranks of the enemy, and he was able to keep Egon safe. But he knew that he could not keep up this pace for long. He was starting to feel the fatigue setting in.
Meanwhile, Arron was scouting ahead with his archer unit. He had discovered another weak spot in the enemy lines, and he knew that he could exploit it. He led the archers to the spot, and they unleashed a barrage of arrows at the enemy. The arrows rained down on the heretics and demons, and they fell to the ground in droves. The elves cheered at their success, and they knew that they could win this battle. However, despite their efforts they were still greatly outnumbered. They were not going to give up, though. They were going to keep fighting until the very end.
***
I dodged the giant spider's fangs, and I swung my sword at its head. It hissed in pain, and its eyes glowed with rage.
"Foolish boy, you should just die already! The Great Tree will not be defeated. Your reign as the god of this world will end here and now!" The spider demon yelled.
"I am the creator of this world. I will not allow the Great Tree to destroy it. I will not allow it to take over my world." I replied. "I will not allow it to kill the innocent elves and humans for it's corrupt purposes!"
The spider demon charged at me again, and it was even faster than before. It was as if it had gotten stronger somehow.
I had to jump out of the way to avoid its fangs again, but I was able to hit its side with my sword. It hissed in pain again, and it stumbled backwards. It was clear that it was hurt, but it was also clear that it was not going to give up. It was determined to kill me.
"Give up, foolish boy. Your efforts are futile. The Great Tree will never be defeated." The spider said.
I was getting tired, and I knew that I could not keep fighting for much longer. The spider's fangs and claws were getting closer and closer, and I was having a hard time dodging them. I had to think of something quickly, or I was going to die.
Then, out of nowhere, my savior arose. The ball of light I had created suddenly appeared in front of the spider demon's eyes and flashed a bright light so brilliant that it blinded the spider temporarily.
I quickly held my sword tightly and rushed the spider while it was stunned. I stabbed my sword through its head and it let out one final shriek before it shriveled up and died. In its place, a glowing black orb appeared
"This must be the spider's core, the Great Tree's fragment." I said to myself. Then I looked to my light ball and said, "You did a great job, little guy. Thanks." The ball of light floated around my head and began to glow brighter as if it were happy to have helped me.
After I grabbed the core and stored it away, I asked Benny to scan the room to see if there were any hidden passages or doors. He did, and he found a hidden tunnel that I hadn't noticed before.
"Thanks Benny," I said.
"No problem, Thomas. Be careful."
I entered the hidden tunnel, and it led to another room. This room was much smaller than the others, and it was filled with a thick, black mist. I could barely see anything. I looked to the ball of light for assistance and ordered it to light up the room as much as it could. "You're very helpful, you know," I said with a smile. "I should give you a name."
I thought for a while sorting through a few names I had in mind until I decided to settle with the name "Will," since it had a will of its own. This little guy will make for an awesome companion while I explore the dungeon.
In excitement Will, the ball of light, bobbed up and down
"I guess you like that name," I said and laughed.
I continued to look around the room, and I noticed that there was a large, black chest in the corner. It was locked with a heavy, metal lock. I tried to open it, but it was stuck shut. I used my sword to pry it open, and it finally budged. Inside the chest, I found a glowing blue vial of liquid and a glowing white ring.
This dungeon was really reminiscent of an RPG. I wonder why the Great Tree created a system like this. From boss monsters to dark rooms and now loot. What was next? Puzzles?
As I continued looking through the chest, I found a clay tablet with writing on it. It read, "To exit the room, you must disperse the mist."
"How the hell do I do that? Could I use Imagination Amplification to clear it?" I asked myself.
Will, the ball of light, floated in front of me and seemed to say, "I can help."
"Alright, Will," I said. "What do you have in mind?"
Will bobbed up and down and then floated towards the center of the room. It began to spin, and the mist began to thin. 'Man, Will is so awesome and adorable.' I thought. Still, I was curious to see how Will would be able to clear the mist completely.
Will kept spinning and appeared to be going faster and faster until eventually, the mist finally disappeared and at a corner of the room, a door made of tree bark appeared and opened revealing a stairway that led up.
On to the next room. Will followed and stayed behind me. The little guy acted like a guard dog protecting its owner. Will only got cuter and cuter.